I would and have played games that have been both male and female main characters. Beyond Good and Evil, Kult, Lora Croft (of course), Heavy Metal F.A.K.K., Resident Evil etc….When playing a CRPG I prefer the actually roleplay vs game. Granted there aren't many female protagonists RPG games out there and the ones that are are more like Tomb raider games than RPGs but when a good CRPG comes along it doesn't matter which gender I play as long as the story, that goes along with that character, is good and the game is overall fun to play.

As long as the story stands up, I'm all for it. Can the RPG hardcore embrace the idea, though? Maybe I'm a bit more tolerant of the lack of freedom because I really enjoy playing non-RPGs, too. That said, beyond Good & Evil was really the last game I played that had a great female character in a lead role. More of that please?

How does Mass Effect play out from a cross-gender perspective? BW's always been good at presenting balanced gaming for both genders… ME hold up to that?

Of course. As long as the character is nicely done, it doesn't matter if it's a she or a he. My favorite female character is Kerrigan, Queen of Blades, from Starcraft(granted it's not an rpg, but the characters are all very detailed, and have rich personalities. waiting for her return in SC2).

Sure, if you like games for the most part you don't have a choice. Excluding the choice in a RPG is obviously NOT the most effective immersion implementation.

The only possible thing I can think of at least here in the US, would be the exclusion of sales at certain outlets. Iirc, walmart may currently be the worst of the bunch about refusing adult subject matter, like same sex romances. In the age of the internet this is slowing becoming less of a factor though as adults have a wide range of access and eventually walmart will cave, since they are really just corporatist not the *false moralist* they pretend to be.

— Trust me, most of the names I have been called you can't translate in any language…they're not even real words as much as a succession of violent images.

Originally Posted by Acleacius
The only possible thing I can think of at least here in the US, would be the exclusion of sales at certain outlets. Iirc, walmart may currently be the worst of the bunch about refusing adult subject matter, like same sex romances. In the age of the internet this is slowing becoming less of a factor though as adults have a wide range of access and eventually walmart will cave, since they are really just corporatist not the *false moralist* they pretend to be.

Did Wal-Mart restrict Mass Effect or The Temple of Elemental Evil? Both feature same-sex romances.

I don't know about consoles really nor do I shop there for my PC games. They both seem to be listed at the moment as I googled them, maybe they have given in to the free market.
At least in the past many game releases have cut content to lower age rating to sell there, since I don't support that type of nonsense I just ignore them.

— Trust me, most of the names I have been called you can't translate in any language…they're not even real words as much as a succession of violent images.

I don't have any problem with it. I play game for the story and gameplay and not to promote my gender. Beside, in most game where you can choose between a male or female, I usually choose a male (I'm a woman). Why? Because looking at a girl ass for hours isn't that much fun. The way some of these female 3D models walks, picking one is really geared toward male players anyway, although Deus Ex 2 had the over the top hip swing for both sex.

As long as it make some sense in the story the gender isn't important for me to enjoy a game. Although there is a lack of game with female only protagonist in the "action" scene, but that's probably a good thing because the game industry is composed in a large part of men and they have a tendency to "sex up" 3D females a bit. Just look a game box with female art. Although there's was some great female protagonist, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil is a good example and we still have Samus around.

I have no problem playing a predefinied character of either sex if the game is good enough and the story supports it (Witcher, PS:T, Gothic) I wouldn't have missed those games for the world, and the fact that I played a male character was completely a non-issue.
However, in action rpgs or games that really don't have a particular reason for a character to be male other than budget and convenience, (and unfortunately Eschalon is falling into this camp,) I have less tolerance for it. I find it more fun to play a female if at all possible if it makes sense in the gameworld.

Yes, I will play games that restrict me to play the opposite gender. I usually know what awaits me when I play a certain game - when I bought Doom all those years ago, I knew aforehand I'd be playing a carrot-topped brick shithouse; when I bought Planescape: Torment, I knew I'd be stuck with playing a funky mummy, and when I got Wheel of Time, I knew I'd have to play a lady in a white nightgown. None of these 'people' acted, looked, dressed and probably thought like me, yet I thought the game concept was fun so I still bought the games - I never felt cheated because I was stuck with one certain avatar.
I do feel a bit castrated, though, when a follow-up to a game where you could either create or pick your own character doesn't offer the same options. In Quake 2, you could pick either a male or a female marine (and with the first add-on a male cyborg), and several skins for each of them. In the sequel Quake 4 you were stuck with a male Marine-later-turning-Cyborg; now I usually pick male avatars (or rather, the vatar whose visuals I like best), but I was a bit miffed because they easily could have included a female player avatar… slightly editing dialogues would have done the trick, and giving male and female different cyborg stats later on would have been a nice addition. I actually liked the game, but… I still feel cheated, somehow.

Generally speaking, I'm not offended by being forced to play the opposite gender; I'm offended if a sequel offers less character options than the original game.

Like several of the respondents so far, I'm an avid adventure gamer as well as a RPGer. And being a modern adventure gamer means you tend to play a female character far more often than a male one. I'm male and this doesn't bother me a bit.

In RPGs, I do prefer the choice, though, simply because RPGs tend to be more about creating a character and playing the role. I find it easier and more engaging when I can control certain aspects of the character, including sex. I admit, when given a choice, I always play a male character. And I would never, ever play a female character in my occasional forays into MMOs. But that's quite a different animal.

But none of that stops me even a little bit from enjoying a game where I'm forced into the opposite sex. And it can certainly be more fun playing such a role if you roll with it. I remember playing Agent Archer in NOLF and NOLF2 and getting a kick out of playing the strong female lead in knee-highs kicking the stuffing out of all those pitiable males.

While I can certainly understand how some people have difficulty crossing the divide, I consider it a pretty big shame and recommend that such people try a little harder to get over it if they feel there's even a shot. There are great gaming gems out there that force the player to play one sex or the other that should not be missed by any avid gamer.

I'll play a female over a male if it gives me an advantage. Sometimes females will have better dexterity or wisdom, etc. In that case, I'll pick a woman to be my priestess or a girl to be my rogue. I certainly don't mind games that pick one sex and stick to it. If I have to play a female, I prefer good graphics. I wanna see the cute booty I loved to play females in Morrowind with Better Bodies installed!

Absolutely… I don't give a flying *#&#37;&* what sex my character is as long as the story and gameplay are worth playing. When I play CRPGs that allow you to create a party of adventurers I always make at least half of my characters the opposite sex, just for the heck of it.